Have you ever spotted a comet flying across the sky? If not, you’re in luck because this local managed to capture it on camera! Alexander Camilleri managed to snap a shot at Comet Neowise from Naxxar at 4.48am on 6th July.
“The comet was very low in the sky (6.5 degrees elevation). I was able to visually spot Theta Aurigae and Beta Tauri stars with my 50X16 binoculars, which I used as landmarks to locate the comet. Visual detection of the comet was difficult with the 50X16 - certainly was not visible to the naked eye,” he shared on Facebook, sharing the details. “However, the comet was easily detected with a camera on tripod - even without telephoto magnification. Visual detection was difficult due to the haze and the brightness of the sky.
“The comet is rising in the North East (heading of about 50 degrees) before sunrise. I got the coordinates from Stellarium. I later used the azimuth coordinates on Google Maps to find out the buildings over which the comet would appear. The comet was occasionally obscured by passing clouds. (My fist attempt on July 5th was unsuccessful due to low lying clouds).”
Amazing!